This Trader Joe's Frozen Pasta Is Not Worth The Effort It Takes To Cook

Trader Joe's frozen pasta lineup has its ups and downs, but at the very least, most of them cook up without a fight. That's not the case for the linguine with pesto and tomatoes. Daily Meal ranked it dead last among 12 Trader Joe's frozen pastas — not because of its flavor or its texture, but because cooking it was extremely inconvenient. Unlike other frozen long-noodle pastas from Trader Joe's, which are portioned into easy-to-cook nests, this one is a solid, stubborn block of pasta and sauce. That might not sound like a big deal, but in practice, it turns a simple meal into an unnecessary hassle.

Rather than softening evenly, the frozen mass takes forever to break down, requiring extra steps just to fit under a lid. Even after multiple rounds of heating, parts of it remain ice-cold while others risk overcooking. By the time everything is fully warmed through, the tomatoes have shriveled, and the pesto tastes less than fresh. At the very least, the linguine itself had a nice texture. Though with everything else working against it, that barely moves the needle. You may want to look at other options in the 17 Trader Joe's frozen dinners we ranked from worst to best.

The opinion that Trader Joe's linguine with pesto and tomatoes deserves a hard pass is echoed across multiple reviews. One reviewer found the pesto "wasn't very tasty," lacked much depth, and didn't contribute enough to the dish. Adding Parmesan helped slightly but couldn't mask how unimpressive the flavors were. A separate review described the dish as a poor frozen recreation of a simple pasta, one that just didn't deliver the freshness or balance you'd hope for in a pesto-based meal. And while frozen pasta is supposed to be a quick meal solution, this one drags out the process so much that it barely qualifies as convenient. 

If a frozen pasta takes extra effort, it should at least be rewarding. This one just isn't. There are better choices — both in Trader Joe's freezer section and beyond. So if you're looking for a simple pasta dinner, maybe go for Trader Joe's best dry pastas next time and a jar of what we rated the best store-bought pesto, Kirkland Signature from Costco.